


Because You Asked Me To Stay

by orphan_account



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27826522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Abed has always known that he's not the right person to be the leading man of any story, but wasn't enough to stop him falling for the leading lady. However, after his Don Draper impersonation he finds himself more and more determined to overthrow that staple especially since Annie seems to becoming less and less interested in classic protagonists.
Relationships: Abed Nadir & the Study Group, Annie Edison & Abed Nadir, Annie Edison & The Study Group, Annie Edison/Abed Nadir
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	Because You Asked Me To Stay

_ ‘Even though we never said it, we knew.’ _

It all started with the drawing.

Troy had found a picture of him in Jenny Addams’ old Spanish textbook and that was it. He needed a girlfriend apparently, that’s what everyone, well with the exception of Jeff who was off with his own story arc and Annie, who was quieter than normal, had said. Abed should have been grateful, he knew that. His friends just wanted to help him, again, and maybe a companion would be nice, but he didn’t want Jenny Addams’. He didn’t know this girl and after all, she wasn’t his leading lady, of that Abed was certain. Then again, he wasn’t destined to end up with her, he would never be the leading man, hell, Abed doubted he was really present in the script half the time.

The sound of shuffling pulled Abed out of his thoughts. Glancing over to the side of the abandoned classroom, he found his friends all huddled together, their heads bowed together. Britta, Shirley and Troy seemed to be leading the conversation with Pierce chipping in from time to time while Annie shook her head and scoffed at the mere notion of what was happening. 

Abed couldn’t help but admire her like this. Gone was her usual bright smile, which was a sight to behold in and of itself, and in its place her lips were pressed into her thin line. Her usually glittering, azure gaze had turned to a steely blue and even Britta refused to meet her eyes. Abed, however, had long ago found herself transfixed by her. Dressed in a dark purple and in the weak fluorescent light, Annie looked like a Norse Goddess and he would have been more than content to stare at her for longer. Not that he needed to spend any more time staring at her. Annie’s image was all but seared to his mind, not that Abed minded too much.

Reluctantly pulling his eyes away from Annie, Abed watched the others turn towards him and separating. Troy and Annie drifted over to the side while Britta and Shirley lingered together and Pierce stepped back, sitting down. From his place sat in front of them, Abed couldn’t help but feel as though he was on a stage, especially with the way that Britta was looking at him.

Keeping his face blank, Abed tried not to grimace at the smile Britta gave him. A sense of unease settled over him as she crouched down slightly and said: “Okay, Abed, we know that normally you wouldn’t approach a girl, but if you don’t learn how, you won’t get with Jenny.”

“Yeah, and you got two days then I’m going after her,” Pierce added from his place at the back of the room.

“Pierce!” Annie squealed, her eyes narrowing.

The brunette turned back to Abed, her eyes softening back to a much lighter blue, sparkling as they did, and for a second Abed let himself drown in her gaze. He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning upwards. His heart skipped a beat and a warmth spread through his veins that he had long since grown used to feeling when Annie was around. Cocking his head to the side slightly, Abed watched silently as the young woman stepped towards him.

“You don’t have to do this,” Annie said softly.

“Yeah, he does.” Britta countered, rolling her eyes at Annie.

Scoffing, Annie turned away, folding her arms and shaking her head at the blonde’s actions. The warm blue of her gaze had hardened and cooled back to steel, unimpressed and annoyed. Her dark hair brushed back and forth with the sway of her head and Abed found himself all but hypnotised by it.

“And I’m incentivising him.” Pierce said, wrenching Abed out of his thoughts, “also, if she’s into Abed let’s face it, anybody could hit that.”

“Pierce!” Annie yelled, narrowing her eyes. Spinning back towards Abed, her features turned soft once more and in that gentle tone she only used for him, she said: “Ignore him, any girl would be lucky to have you, Abed.” 

“Thanks, Annie.” Abed smiled. 

Abed had barely let the words out when he noticed that the mere twitch of his lips upwards had an effect on Annie that he wasn’t expecting at all. Annie’s whole body seemed to glow as a smile spread across her lips in return. Her eyes sparkled and had Abed not known that she was really there, he would have assumed she was a mirage sent by God. A light rosy blush decorated Annie's cheeks and she glanced away, unable to keep staring at him, though her smile didn’t fade and her cheeks only darkened.

Letting his smile fade back to his usually passive expression, he turned back to the others, he asked: “But what you all are saying is that I need to change who I am to someone more likeable?”

“NO!” Annie shook her head.

“No, no, sweetie, it’s not about changing, it’s about learning.” Shirley attempted to rectify, her voice sugary sweet and tentative.

“Learning to change?” Abed guessed.

Britta and Shirley let out some barely coherent sounds looking between one another, unsure of what to say. They glanced back and forth between him and the other woman, their lips moving but no true words leaving them. Troy sat across from them, a look of discomfort masking his features and he rocked in his chair, his hands fidgeting in his lap. Abed’s best friend had the grace to look ashamed in his part so far to help Britta and Shirley try and change the movie fanatic, but Abed didn’t mind either way. Troy wanted to help; they all wanted to help him. Even Annie did, though she just wanted him to be himself, and from what he could guess, she was only growing steadily more annoyed at the rest of the study group.

Shaking his head, Pierce clambered to his feet, his arms wide and his jaw set. His eyes fixed on the others, he stated: “Good grief, clear the chickens off the runway. I’ll be the bad guy.” 

Abed wanted to argue that Pierce was always the bad guy in the group, but before he could open his mouth Pierce turned towards him, took a few steps and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder, crouching down. Squeezing the Arab’s shoulder, Pierce said: “Yes, Ay-bed, you need to be someone else, someone who eventually gets a girlfriend because I can’t think of anything more frightening than a half-Polish, half-Arab virgin in his thirties. One way or another that story ends with an explosion.”

With one last squeeze, he got up and turned away, heading back to his seat across from Abed. The younger man was more than grateful for him leaving. The place where Pierce had laid his hand itched and Abed fought the urge to scratch his skin. His eyes drifted over to the spot on his brightly coloured cardigan, trying to remove the sensation from his mind and body. He didn’t appreciate being touched without warning.

The sound of a chair scouting back brought him to reality and Abed turned to watch Troy clamber to his feet, a sigh on the football star’s lips. Glancing between the group, Troy shook his head and said: “Let’s try a practice run. Alright, Annie, you sit here, and be a girl.” He pointed to the chair beside Abed for Annie to sit in before turning to his best friend and adding: “Abed, you take a run at her. Let’s see what you got.”

Watching Annie reluctantly head to the seat, Abed rose, mumbling: “Okay.” 

Once Annie had settled herself and opened her Spanish textbook pretending to read it, Abed cocked his head and let out a small: “hmm.” His eyes swept over her small frame as he let the persona sweep over his body, rooting itself in his personality and letting it take hold. Abed’s back straightened and his hands slipped into his back pocket, the right one finding a cigarette case there from his film class earlier. In one fluid motion, he pulled the case out of his pocket and settled down beside Annie, his right hand lingering behind the back of the chairs as he asked in a deep voice: “What are you reading?”

Annie shivered, the hairs rising on the back of her neck. The rosy tint from earlier came back and she mumbled a little breathlessly: “ _ Pride and Prejudice _ .”

“So, you’re familiar with two sins, how about a third?” Abed asked, revealing the silver case and deftly opening it to show her the contents, watching Annie’s eyes widen in shock as her breath caught in her throat.

“Oh,” Shirley mumbled, voicing the surprise of the others. 

Abed ignored her and everyone other than Annie, letting himself enjoy watching her fidget under his dark gaze and delighting in the timid tone in which she replied: “I don’t think we’re allowed to smoke in here.”

Closing the case with a snap, Abed’s right hand guided Annie’s body towards his own stating: “Then you picked the wrong outfit… didn’t you?” 

Eyes widening, Annie flushed crimson and her breath once more caught in her throat. Her eyes darted from his gaze down to his lips, her dark eyelashes fluttering rapidly. Abed rested his fist beneath her chin and traced the skin with his calloused thumb revelling in the soft smooth surface beneath. Unable to stop himself, he leant in, his heart hammering as Annie copied his actions.

“Abed!” Shirley cried from behind him, but it fell on deaf ears.

The soft brush of Annie’s lips was tentative against his own, but Abed let his persona take over, confidently claiming Annie’s lips with his own. His right arm wrapped around her back bringing her closer to his body. Her soft hands tangled themselves in his hair, pulling at the strands, tangling her fingers around it. Abed let his tongue trace her lips, deepening the kiss and Annie sighed gently against his lips.

It was enough to pull him out of his persona.

From savage and dominating, his actions turned to sweet, gentle and tender. Annie smiled, her movements now matching his and her hands slipped from his hair to cup his cheeks while his left hand mirrored her actions. His thumb traced over cheek and they moved together as one, tentative, curious and adoring.

Hands grasped his shoulders, wrenching Abed back and away from Annie. His eyes flew open as did Annie’s and he was almost deafened by Jeff yelling: “What the hell? What are you doing?”

“Don Draper from Mad Men,” Abed responded, springing to his feet, his eyes meeting Annie’s for a brief moment before he turned to glance at the others. Troy looked perplexed, Britta surprised, Pierce impressed, Shirley shocked and Jeff angry, but still Abed found himself asking: “What do you think?”

“Weird,” Britta stated.

“Awesome.” Troy grinned.

“Why did you kiss, Annie?” Jeff asked, his eyes narrowed and his expression less than pleased. Abed couldn’t help but tense under the fury directed his way.

Turning sharply on his heel to look at Jeff, Abed pointed his finger at the former lawyer and reminded him quietly: “You’ve kissed her too.”

“I liked it,” Annie mumbled, looking down at her folded hands still blushing.

Abed couldn’t explain the rush of pride that followed her words. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt and he wasn’t sure he was meant to feel this way. He wasn’t the leading man but watching Annie’s cheeks darken under his gaze or the way she fidgeted in her seat made him feel like one for a brief moment. Jeff’s furious expression only served to fuel the pride coursing through his veins. 

“Don’t be Don Draper, he cheats on his wife. Be someone nice, like Mike Brady. He always had that housekeeper throwing herself at him and he never made a move on her.” Shirley interjected, her voice pulling Abed back to the situation at hand and the young man reluctantly tore his eyes from Annie.

“Don’t be Mike Brady, he’s not sexy. You should be like Jo from  _ Facts of Life _ .” Britta suggested.

Abed cocked his head to the side, and out of the corner of his eye he could just make out the others mirroring his confusion. As far as he could remember there was no Joe in  _ Facts of Life _ , or at least not a male one. Britta too seemed to register her mistake and sat back mumbling: “But you know, the dude version.”

“I knew it!” Pierce yelled.

Shaking his head, Troy looked over at his best friend and grinned: “You should be like Calvin, his best friend was a tiger, he went on dope adventures and if anything got in his way he just peed on it.”

“Calvin Coolidge?” Pierce asked.

“Don Draper was clearly the sexiest, but Abed, you don’t need to change, you just need to be yourself,” Annie added, standing up and placing a tentative hand on Abed’s forearm.

Even beneath his woollen cardigan, Abed could feel the heat of Annie’s hand on his clothed wrist. His skin prickled, much like it always did when someone touched him suddenly but as always it wasn’t the uncomfortable feeling of fire ants crawling beneath the layers. Instead, Annie’s touches ignited a comfortable heat within him, one that spread across his entire being stemming from where her hand was placed. A small smile pulled at his lips, though it didn’t last long. 

“You weren’t complaining two minutes ago when his tongue was down your throat.” Jeff scoffed, glowering at Annie and even with his lack of skill at reading people, Abed could see the jealousy in the older man’s gaze.

“It was better than having yours down it.” Annie countered.

The entire room froze, staring at her. Abed’s dark gaze traced over Annie’s face, taking in the flush of her cheeks and a darker more determined steely blue. There was a fire dancing in her eyes and the blush that had spread across her cheeks had faded, her natural ethereal colouring still glowing.

Turning back to Abed, Annie smiled, squeezing his arm and stating softly: “Whatever girl you decide to date will be very lucky indeed.”

His mouth opened to respond but the feeling of Annie using his forearm to push herself onto her tiptoes stopped him. The delicate kiss she placed on his cheek was enough to steal the breath from his lungs. The fire that had been coursing through his veins since Annie had first placed a hand on his wrist blazed into an inferno roaring through his body that refused to burn out even as Annie let go of Abed.

A scoff pulled Abed out of his daydream somewhat and he watched Jeff turn to the other as he raised his hand to where Annie had just kissed him, only partially listening to Jeff.“And for God’s sake, what did I tell you guys about trying to change Abed?”

The others all looked down at their feet. Abed cocked his head to the side noting that only Annie didn’t look down; her eyes were still fixed on Abed and not Jeff. The former smiled softly before an idea flickered in his mind. Once more, Abed let himself fade away as a new persona came out and opened his arms, he exclaimed: “Oh, for God’s sakes, do whatever you want! Leave each other alone! And Abed, don’t kiss Annie!”

Each of his friends stared at him and Troy grinned: “Whoa, that’s a good Jeff. How’d you do that?”

“Ten per cent Dick Van Dyke, twenty per cent Sam Malone, forty per cent Zach Braff from  _ Scrubs _ and thirty per cent Hilary Swank in  _ Boys Don’t Cry _ .” Abed rattled off, fully aware of Annie’s eyes boring into the back of his body.

“Zach Braff?” Jeff asked, his eyes dark and furious.

“Sorry.” Abed shrugged.

Risking a glance behind him, his eyes met Annie’s once more. Abed’s feet were frozen to the ground and it took all of his power to turn away from her. Thankfully, Britta’s voice helped pull him out of his daze when she asked: “Abed, what if you just did Jeff for Jenny?”

“Uh-- and your point is?” Abed asked, letting Jeff’s persona take over him.

“Look I don’t want any part in this other than to say, don’t kiss Annie again.” Jeff asserted, glaring at Abed once more though the latter didn’t step back in fear as he was sure Jeff wanted him to do. 

Opening his mouth, Abed was cut off by Annie scoffing: “You’re not my father, Jeff. I can kiss who I like.”

“Either way, I can’t believe you’re still doing this after I already explained the obvious lesson smacking you in the face.” Jeff countered, narrowing his eyes at her and crossed his arms. The leather of his jacket rustled and Abed found himself reminded of where Jeff should have been, though he wasn’t the one who voiced it.

“Why aren’t you in billiard’s club?” Troy asked.

“Because I don’t look cool in shorts!” Jeff yelled, pulling down a stack of chairs before storming out the room, the door banging behind him.

“Oh.”

“Whoa.” 

“Okay.”

The group found themselves staring after him, unsure of what to make of Jeff’s exit and Abed couldn’t resist stepping up and exclaiming: “Because I’m not cool in shorts!” 

Ignoring the pain spreading through his foot after kicking the chairs, he took in the praise and he scanned over the rest of the group, absorbing all of their reactions. Pierce looked indifferent, Troy grinned, Britta nodded in approval, Shirley was giggling and Annie was smiling at him. Abed froze watching her twirl her hair around her fingers and his mouth twitched upwards at her. At that moment, Abed decided that perhaps, maybe he had a chance to be the leading man.

And he wasn’t about to waste that chance.


End file.
